the old woman of wexford

The Old Woman of Wexford

There was an old woman of Wexford and in Wexford town did dwell
She loved her old man dearly but another man twice as well.

To me rye-ful diddle oh larro and me rye-ful dye-ful dee.

One day she went to the doctor, some medicine for to find
She said “I want something for to make me old man blind”

“Feed him eggs and marrow bones and make him suck them all
And it won’t be very long after till he can’t see you at all.”

The doctor wrote a letter and he sealed it with his hand
He sent it to the old man, just to let him understand.

She fed him eggs and marrow bones and made him suck them all
It wasn’t so very long after that he couldn’t see the wall.

He said, “I’d go and drown myself, but that would be a sin.”
She said “I’ll come to the water’s edge and help to push you in.”

They jogged and jogged and jogged along till they came to the water’s brim
She said, “You came here to drown yourself, and me to push you in.”

The old woman stepped back a bit and ran to push him in
The old man quickly stepped aside and she went tumbling in.

Oh how loudly did she yell and how loudly did she call
He said “Hold your whisht dear woman, sure I can’t see you at all.”

She swam and swam and swam until she came to the farther brim
He grabbed a sally wattle and he pushed her further in.

Now eggs and eggs and marrow bones may make your old man blind
But if you want to drown him you must creep up close behind.